Saturday's Oysterfest Looks to Ireland ― Except When It Doesn't

Maybe Oysterfest 2010 will inevitably prove a drunken slog through a litter of oyster shells, to a live Cake soundtrack. But that's not how it has to be, says Fiachra O'Shaughnessy of O'Reilly's Pub in North Beach, one of the organizers of the 11th annual event (SF Weekly is a co-sponsor).

“Basically, the premise was the combination of raw oysters with stouts,” O'Shaughnessy says ― it's the very focus of the Galway Oyster Festival in Ireland. But what would a sprawling American food and music event be without deep-fryers and BBQ sauce? Expect deep-fried oysters, barbecued oysters, and festival food that'll have more in common with, say, Folsom Street than Galway: hot dogs, empanadas, tri-tip sandwiches.